Saving Money When Buying Christmas Presents | #Blogmas

December 3, 2016

The 1st of December has well and truly arrived, and if you’re a little behind on Christmas shopping like me, then it’s the day to be panicking. College went from having no sign of Christmas to feeling like Santa’s grotto overnight, so the stress began. Don’t get me wrong, Christmas is a magical time, but gift buying is so difficult, especially if you’re a student and don’t have the money!

In this post, I’m going to tell you a few tips to make your gift shopping a little easier, of course, you want to treat the special people in your life, but you don’t want to go overboard to the point of feeling guilty and putting a financial burden on yourself.

Stores such as Boots and Debenhams will to a 3 for 2 on selected gifts and star buys where you can get massive main pressies for half the price. From Estēe Lauder to Benefit’s best sellers, you’re bound to find something. Surprisingly, there are still some Black Friday offers around so get searching. If you’re a student like myself, then Unidays or NUS are amazing at giving you 20-25% off at a lot of high street stores.

Make a list of what and who you want to buy for and stick to it. It’s so easy to see something else in a store and change your mind, but that’s how you end up spending the extra money and going over budget. Christmas catalogues can be really helpful and give you a section to write in at the beginning so you can find gifts for the whole family. Once you know what you want to buy, hit the internet and see if you can get it cheaper from somewhere else!

Christmas = giftsets. To save money, you’re better off buying a massive gift set and splitting it between friends or family. This way you’re not splashing the cash on individual items (for example, Soap & Glory). Not only do certain sets do full sized products but they can also be on offer randomly so keep an eye out.

Every year in any shop, there are always Christmas isles which are stocked up to the ceiling full of gift sets galore. It’s tempting to be drawn into that isle and just grab something if you’re in a rush, but you need to realise you can get the same chocolate and bottle of wine a lot cheaper in another isle because it doesn’t have the pretty packaging. All of these fancy bows and boxes add pennies to the price.

Market stalls or cute independent stores in cities always have some really unique gifts and cards that vary from the average. Not only are they better quality and not as mainstream, but they will also be a little cheaper. Independent businesses always need the support and it’s good to help out.